Appalled by the inaction of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), residents of Malad West’s JB Colony and Sundar Lane took it upon themselves to fix a long-standing issue. For months, locals had been complaining about loose manhole lids that rattled loudly every time a vehicle passed over them. The constant clanking had become a major disturbance, especially during late hours, and residents alleged that despite repeated complaints to the civic body, no concrete action was taken to address the issue.
“We approached our P North ward office several times. They kept saying that they did not have a solution. They just ignored our complaints, and we were left with a severe noise problem, especially at night,” said Wanda Fernandes, a resident. According to some residents, ward officials mentioned that they did not have the budget to address the issue. “When ward officials revealed they had no intention to come up with a solution due to a lack of funds, we started feeling helpless. They were listening to us initially, but later gave up, citing budget constraints,” said Joe Canute, a resident of a building named Spring Field 1.
A bright idea
Fed up, residents began discussing among themselves how to solve the problem. That’s when Ronnie D’Souza, another resident of the same area, came up with the idea of stuffing rubber cycle tubes into the gaps. “I had been discussing possible solutions with contractors and engineers working on the road and nearby construction sites. During these conversations, an engineer mentioned something about cushioning the edges of lids. That’s when it struck me that maybe inserting rubber tubes could reduce the sound. After trying it out, to our surprise, it worked wonders. The measure not only reduced the noise, but also almost eliminated it,” said D’Souza.
Labourers stuff rubber tubes between road and loose manhole lids in Malad West on Sunday. Pic/By Special Arrangement
Residents then hired a few daily-wage labourers and got as many as 10-12 lids muffled in this manner. “We can now sleep peacefully at night, and our elders will not get startled by loud noises at night,” said Fernandes.
“After Ronnie came up with this solution, we realised that it was not that difficult for ward officials, who have been in this line of work for several years, to think of such basic and inexpensive solutions. They just lack the will to help residents. We did not even have to pay a single penny for these tubes as they are waste products. These otherwise unusable tubes came to our rescue,” said Capt Clinton Mukadam, a resident of Girnar Galaxy CHS, another building on Sundar Lane.
The labourers fix the lids
D’Souza said, “We, as citizens, should equally be responsible and not always rely solely on the BMC, police, and politicians to get our work done. In fact, we should support the authorities, which will help them perform better.”
